Mark Dawson, Editor of Wanganui Chronicle
I SHOULD feel slightly ashamed ...
I confess to being a little surprised to learn that Whanganui had made the top 10 list of preferred New Zealand destinations in a survey of Kiwi, Australian and international visitors.
How many times has that happened?
It was certainly a first as far as the Experience Oz travel business which ran the survey was concerned.
There we were with the usual suspects - Fiordland, Queenstown, Taupo - and 7000 visitors (the size of the survey) can't be wrong.
Still, I was not alone in my unexpected delight - our elevation to the ranks of top destination caught mayor Annette Main unawares, and the attractions of Whanganui have had no greater champion than her.
We should have seen it coming ...
News of our top 10 placing made the front page on Thursday, and the day before we had reported a 24th consecutive month of increased visitor numbers to the city.
The bumper tourist summer has given Whanganui a 4 per cent rise in guest nights in the year ending March 31, accompanied by a 12.5 per cent increase in international spending and a 2.7 per cent increase in domestic spending (both figures higher than the national average).
We must be doing something right.
The power of events has been cited as one of the reasons behind this surge. We have seen a growth in the number of events, and a step up in the way they are organised and marketed.
Next year, the Masters Games will be back here - always a great drawcard. And there are plans under way for more events for the "shoulder" (non-summer) seasons. Watch this space.
Promotion and marketing manager Lyn Cheyne noted that the "friendly welcome" visitors get in Whanganui was also a reason for our popularity.
So there - we can all play our part in this success story.
A Whanganui petition to ban the public sale of fireworks is heading to Parliament.